Sunday, January 26, 2014

This Republic Day, a
basic lesson on the country’s current political landscape...

A is for Aam Aadmi
Party, the newest kid on the electoral block. Starting out as an
anti-corruption movement, AAP sprang a surprise in the Delhi Assembly Elections.
The sheer novelty of its approach has now put them at the centre of the
country’s political discourse. How well the approach works in the long run
remains to be seen.

B is for BJP, the
principle asylum of India’s right wing political thought. The party attracts
those who believe everything was hunky-dory in the Land of the Rajas & the
Maharajas, until the successive invasions of the Moghuls and the Europeans
deprived Bharat of her wealth & prosperity.

C is for Congress, the
party that has governed the country for a major part of its existence. It has
worn different garbs at different times in history, toying with socialism in
the 60s & 70s, free market - liberalism in the late 80s & 90s and back
to welfarism in the 21st Century.

D is for - what I call -
the Dodos of Indian politics. These are parties other than the above three, mainly
regional in existence. Most of them have little economic ideology and depend on
narrow populism or chauvinistic programs to sustain their existence. 14 years
into the 21st Century, many of them do not even have functional
websites, let alone embrace emerging media and reach out to the voters of
tomorrow. As the results of recent State elections show, most of these are
facing extinction.

E is for Elections,
that grand celebration of democracy that gives the people a chance to speak
& be heard. Half the world population does not live in a democracy, and we
are proud we have achieved a matured democratic infrastructure that allows for
smooth transfer of power.

F is for Freedom, our
most valuable possession. Freedom to live our own lives, the way each one of us
wants to. It is upon us to use it responsibly and for the benefit of all,
without malice and nuisance to others.

G is for Gandhi, the
dominant name in India’s politics for the last hundred years. The original one
lived a simple life; preached non-violence, truth and honesty. Later came the
fake ones, whose contribution is more controversial.

H is for History, that
which teaches us our lessons. It is upto us to ensure that mistakes of the past
are not repeated in future.

I is for Independence,
what India achieved on 15th August 1947. It means we are now the masters
of our own destiny, and cannot blame others for what happens to us. Let us take
it upon ourselves to put our house in order and make this a wonderful place for
our future generations.

J is for Judiciary. An
independent & efficient judicial system is a key pillar of any democratic
set up. Despite some ups & downs, Indian judiciary has largely stood the
test of time in its independence, though its efficiency leaves much to be
desired.

K is for Kursi, the seat of power which is what
all the fight is for! It is the magnet that attracts people to this game and can
bind even the most disparate group of elements together.

L is for Listening, an
ability that seems so short in supply among political class. A Parliamentary
debate is in progress? We don’t care. Listening to the people? What is that?

M is for Media. A free
& vibrant media is often considered the fundamental proof of an open
society. The advent of technology and social platforms has added a new dynamic
to this channel in recent times, handing even ordinary people an unprecedented
power to be seen and be heard.

N is for Nexus, that
invisible thread that binds politicians, bureaucracy, industry and the media
together. You cannot see it easily, but know it exists!

O is for Outrage, the
only thing which makes our political class sit up and take notice. You need an
outrage against corruption, outrage against rape, outrage against terrorist
attacks, outrage against anything, if something has to happen. Until then,
things don’t move.

P is for the Public,
the fools who follow the rules. Come election season, every politician swears
by them but soon forgets once elected to power.

Q is for Quotas,
supposedly the ticket to electoral success. Create a quota; create a vote bank,
so goes the conventional thinking in the political class. Caste, class,
religion, age, gender, language, even profession, location and what not - you
name it and there is some quota somewhere on that basis!

R is for Rule, that
misnomer used to describe what the people we elect are supposed to do. I
suggest we use ‘Govern’, which is the right word, as in, ‘BJP governs Goa’, ‘Congress governs Karnataka’, and so on. Not
“…rules…”

S is for Scam, that
recurring theme in our political discourse. From fodder to satellites, there seems
to be one in everything.

T is for Taxes, the
legitimate hard-earned money that is forcefully diverted from productive
purposes to run the government. What happens to it afterwards remains a
mystery!

U is for Unity, Unity
which every party preaches, even as it goes around dividing the people.

V is for Vote Bank,
that mythical entity that is supposed to keep you permanently in power. But as
many are finding out lately, it may not actually exist!

W is for Wealth, what
the Gods have bestowed on this nation – a very hospitable climate with an abundance
of rain, water, sunshine, air and plenty of natural resources. It is upto us to
make the best of it.

X is for the eXception!
Once in a blue moon, a boy who delivered newspapers goes on to build missiles and
even becomes the President. Untarnished, unblemished by everything around him.
That the system allows him to reach such heights is what gives me hope.

Y is for Youth, the
‘demographic dividend’ of having one of the youngest populations in the world.
This is the principle strength of India, the youth who will shape its destiny,
its future.

Z is for Zero. Zero tolerance
for corruption, zero tolerance for mis-governance, zero tolerance for crime.
This is what the youth of this country should look for, when they vote in the
coming elections!